Outcomes of college attendance for business and humanities majors were compared. Two assessment instruments developed by the American College Testing Program were used: the College Outcomes Measurement Project (COMP) and the Alumni Survey. For a sample of college seniors from 52 colleges, the COMP tests were used to measure performance in the…

The rationale, strategies, and methods of The Mercy College Self-Study Project are considered, and evaluation instruments are provided. This program of institutional evaluation and planning was initiated in 1980 and consists of: standardized surveys, a 10-year longitudinal (panel) study, and academic department self-studies. Questionnaires…

These proceedings contain the agenda, discussants' reports, and 30 papers from the 1983 National Agricultural Education Research Meeting. A discussant's report precedes each group of three papers on one theme and critiques the strengths and weaknesses of the research reported. The 10 themes and representative topics of papers are adult education…

This paper examines the sample-free test calibration claim, derived from Rasch's structural model for test items, by comparing item difficulty and log ability estimates between different samples of ability levels. Three tests from the Ball Aptitude Battery--Inductive Reasoning, Paper Folding; and Vocabulary--were administered to three samples of…

This document describes responses by Native American high school graduates in the Pacific Northwest who were surveyed about their high school experiences. Rather than belabor the issues of at-risk youth, dropout rates, and the failure of schools to adequately address Indian students' needs, this study looks at how schools have helped Indian…

In fall 1988, a survey was conducted of a sample of 1987 and 1988 graduates of Labette Community College (LCC) to determine their educational experiences, employment status, and satisfaction with the college's programs and services. Questionnaires were mailed to 314 of the 444 students who graduated in 1987 or 1988. Study findings, based on a…

This report provides data on public and private high school graduates and dropouts in Kentucky. The introduction contains tables and graphs comparing the career directions (attending college or trade school, military, working, at home, unemployed, deceased, homemakers, and unknown) of Kentucky graduates in 1968 and 1983 and enrollment patterns…

Although some school districts conduct follow-up studies of their high school graduates, few have systematically used the information to improve their educational programs or to guide policymaking. Weaknesses of typical vocational education follow-up studies include the following: avoidance of comparisons with nonvocational students, failure to…

In 1986, a study was conducted at Illinois' William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to gather follow-up data on transfer-oriented students one year after they had accumulated at least 48 semester hours of credit at WRHC. All 634 alumni meeting these criteria were surveyed concerning their current education/employment status, their evaluation of WRHC,…

A study examined the educational and vocational barriers and opportunities reported by 788 disabled adult clients of the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation who matriculated in postsecondary education in Pennsylvania between 1980 and 1986. Thirty-six percent (244) of the surveys were returned. Half of the disabled adults matriculating…

A study gathered followup information on the 1983-84 graduates of Oregon community college vocational students. Of the 83 percent of the graduates who were either employed or pursuing further education, 73 percent were doing so in areas related to the training they had received while enrolled in the community college program. Female graduates…

Data obtained through Western Kentucky University's Teacher Preparation Evaluation Program were analyzed to identify changes in teachers' perceived problems, concerns, and classroom behavior over a six-year period. Data were collected from teachers at four points: during the student teaching experience, and near the end of the first, third, and…

Fourteen magazine articles pertaining to the state of the liberal arts are presented. After an introduction by Ted Pease, "Poet or Plumber?" (Pat Blakely) considers the value of a liberal arts degree. "CLA Profile" summarizes results of a study of College of Liberal Arts students and features five CLA students, while "The…

Doctorate holders who received their degrees in science or other fields between 1930 and 1972 and who held jobs in the sciences and engineering (S/E) were surveyed. Findings include the following: employment of doctorates in S/E activities continued to grow between 1979 and 1981 at the same rate since 1975, about 5 percent per year, reaching a…

Findings are presented from the National Center for Education Statistics' 1978 Recent College Graduates Survey, which estimates the number of recent graduates and the February 1978 employment and salary status of individuals who received bachelor's degrees from July 1, 1976, to June 30, 1977. A nationally representative sample of 297 institutions…